burglar alarm

Any recommendations for a diy burglar alarm for a scout hut. I thing I want
the dual microwave plus PIR sensors and a wired system 'phoning out via a
payg sim. 5 rooms including vestibule.There's nothing particularly valuable
to protect but once notified someone can be on the scene in seconds.
AJH

Assuming that it's not 0330 and the respondee(s) are not tucked up in bed
sound alseep... And what are they going to do even if they do get there
and find intruders? People caught where they shouldn't be tend to react in
a none to friendly manner. Citizens Arrest? Very, very grey area of law
and best avoided.
Think a bit more about what the plan of action is to be when the alarm
triggers. Have a look at sound bombs.

I guess that's true of any burglar alarm. In this case I've been delegated
to look at the problem , the decision to have an alarm has been taken. I
just want a cost effective installation.
I imagine deterring vandals is a major consideration.
AJH

Ours is a commercial installation but I am sure there are lots of DIY
jobs available. Screwfix for one:-)
You will need a door entry switch and the keypad to set and re-set the
alarm. After that you might be able to economise on PIR detectors if
entry routes are obvious. Phone home is beyond my experience.

Yes. The experience here with our barns and the cricket pavilion was
that entry was gained for solvent abuse etc. and fires set on their way
home. Noise at the outset would probably have saved the insurers.
regards

As often advised on here, most important is physical security.
(door/gate locks, window locks, door/windows/gates/fences properly
maintained, security lighting, etc.)
For the alarm, there are probably two significant aspects.
Firstly, making it a visible deterrent with visible external
sounders with flashing LEDs so they stand out at night.
That combined with good physical security basically says it's
easier to go and break-in somewhere else, so don't bother here.
Then, if the physical security and the visible alarm deterrent
fail, I think sound bombs are a good idea. They may scare off
the burglars before they do further damage. You really don't
want to meet them face-to-face though.
There are a number of things to consider which you haven't
mentioned. Such as is there anything stored in there which is
particularly attractive to steel (e.g. a room full of PC's).
Also, is the building in the middle of an urban residential
area, or out in the sticks with just one or two households
nearby? Do you have an insurance requirement to fit the alarm?
BTW, I wouldn't have thought a PAYG contract was a good choice.
You really want a permanent contract for something like this.
You could use a land line if the line is well enough protected
against being cut. If you're looking for a monitored solution,
then there are things like RedCare which will detect the line
being cut.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Cameras and recorders are now a lot cheaper. A notice saying 'you are
being recorded' with physical evidence of it being true might also be a
deterrent. It might encourage imntruders to burn the place down to
destroy recorded evidence of course, but casting doubt into even a
moronic brain might work.
Peter Scott

The soft equivalent of this
http://www.diy-alarms.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id )9
Sound bomb 111dB
Master Blaster 127dB
Air Raid Warning Siren 135db
I fitted 3 in a soil lab. Testing them out was fun.
Adam

Was it a soiled lab before you tested them :-?
These are my faves for indoors and I've taken the guts out of them to
retrofit into weedy external boxes:
http://cpc.farnell.com/elmdene/int400/elmdene-internal-sounder/dp/SR02959
The 120dB isn't bad for an internal box and it's moving coil rather than
peizo so a better and more painful tone IMHO. Dead cheap too.
The SAB version is full volume on battery too (via inverter) which is
nice.

Being slightly deaf and having a reasonably large house I use one of
these as my door bell sounder. It has two plus points, firstly I can
hear it anywhere in the house and secondly the person at the door gets
positive feedback that the bell push has worked.
If you have these as part of your alarm system no one will want to stay
in the same area as them!!

If vandalism is an issue then I would suggest exterior CCTV cameras. If
the property is isolated then motion detectors[1] coupled to a recorded
voice module shouting "CCTV is in operation, please leave the premises,
you are being watched and recorded" at the intruders might be effective[2].
I think you need to consider what action is going to be taken in the
event of an alarm, and at the least have a protocol for two people to
investigate, having regard for the personal safety of the investigators.
Have you spoken to the local police? Many areas have Crime Prevention
Officers who will provide free and impartial advice about security.
Owain
[1] This could be motion detection in the camera, in the CCTV recorder,
or separate PIR detectors. The cameras could even be dummies.
[2] 'voice challenge' is now a requirement for a police response to an
incident reported by a remote CCTV monitoring station. Voice challenge
is very effective at getting intruders to leave quickly. A recorded
module wouldn't meet police requirements, of course, but the intruders
would not know that. You might need to re-record the audio frequently.

We installed a "screamer" siren (audible for around a mile) on the
roof of our mountain hut, plus a loud alarm inside.
Someone smashed the locks off two doors and opened them.
Fortunately the alarm was one which reset itself even if doors were
left open. The sensor inside kept turning the siren on when they went
inside, and they left without doing any more damage..
The plywood I glued and bolted on the inside of the doors worked well.
Now we need better locks.

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